Rebound
by Dragonmistriss
Summary: Sequel to "Crashing". Wanda and Todd now face the toughest challenge when Wanda's secret is discovered. How far will they be forced to go? Rated for language. (summary sucks, but the ending will explain all when I get there...)
1. Failure

Disclaimer: *day dreams* If only I owned the X-men....or the song...  
  
Summary: A little counseling between Todd and Wanda.  
  
A/N: Due to the fact that I was threatened with bodily harm, and that in the first day this was up I had three definate 'YES!' requests for a sequel, here you are ^.^ This story might be slightly longer (chapter wise) than the other, it just depends on what kind of ideas you lovely reviewers give me. *hint hint* Story starts with a little song interlude. The song is "Failure" by Unloco.Note: No one is singing the song, it is the shared feelings between Todd and Wanda that they hold inside. So any part with ~ in front and at the end of the segment is part of the song. Ok? Ok!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Todd could only stare at the girl who for so long he had sworn was out to kill him, and found himself unable to speak. Had she really just said that? Did she really mean that she might love him in return? Sure, he had dreamed about her returning his affection, but in truth he hadn't expected the turn around this soon, or wished it to come about in the way it had. He reached around her shoulder, gently placing his hand against her cheek and whisking away a stray tear. She looked back at the carpet in her room, turning her head away from him slightly. Todd felt like his heart was being peirced by a stake. Was fate so cruel that it took something so horrible to make his true love realize how far he was willing to go for her?   
  
~Maybe I, I didn't have a thing left to say. I bottled it far away. Maybe I, I tried to hard to find someone to blame. Maybe it's me who changed. And now I'm left with nothing...again.~  
  
Wanda tried not to shudder at his touch. She knew he meant well, and knowing that he was there for her comforted her a little, but that didn't change the clammy feel his skin held. But she let him carefully direct her head back towards him. She slowly looked up into his eyes. Those eyes...it was strange now. Once she had thought of them as ugly, hideous green pupils with disgusting yellowish film over them. They didn't seem so appauling now. No, not now, now they seemed to hold more of a radiant golden film instead of the yellow she had once seen. Had she really been ignoring him that much to not even get the color of his eyes right? He gave her a soft smile. There was still the slight fear in his eyes, from the offer he had handed her. She knew that he wanted her to accept it, but...she honestly couldn't. Before he could speak, she cut him off. She didn't want him trying to change her mind.  
  
"No, I'll tell them what really happened...in my own time. I just....I just need so time to, you know, think."  
  
~So what if I lost everything? Would you want me if I was a failure? So what if I lost everything? Would you be there even when I am gone?~  
  
Todd nodded, and went to get up and let her think in peace, but found that he was stuck to the floor. He looked over at Wanda, a little bewildered at first, slowly realizing by the steady look on her face that she had hexed him to stay there.   
  
"I don't want you going back out there with the guys without me, Todd. You know as well as I do that they have a price on your head now."  
  
Todd sighed, giving up fighting the hex and relaxing a little. Wanda gingerly lay her head on his shoulder,closing her eyes for a brief moment to just block out everything. The only exception was the soft, pulsing sound of Todd's heart as it echoed through his veins. A small voice inside her head maliciously stated, 'Go ahead, heck his heart...make him die...' Wanda's eyes shot back open, and she gulped down a lump that had risen in her throat. Where had that come from? A left over urge from what she could remember about the Institute...a remembered need to smite? She lifted her head off of his shoulder, and placed her hands on either side of her head. She didn't look at Todd, even though she knew that he was watching her nervously.  
  
"Wanda?"  
  
His shakey voice finally spoke out. She lowered her hands, but her eyes didn't move from the ground.   
  
"Why the hell do you care about me so much? What do you see in me...especially now..."  
  
She asked, her voice starting to become void again. Todd watched her, turning his upper body to fully face her, his legs still hexed to the floor.  
  
"What happened doesn't change a thing 'bout you. I still love you, yo. And I see someone who needs a little help finding her real self again...and I'd like ta be the one ta help you."  
  
~Maybe I, I didn't seem to give everything away. Not because I needed you to stay, and I I couldn't face the fears I left far behind. I try to answer every question to why, I'm left with nothing again.~  
  
Wanda felt a few more stray tears stream down her face. Why did he have to know so much about her? How could he know so much about her? Whatever the answer, he did.   
  
"How do you know so much about me, Todd?"  
  
She didn't have to look at him, she felt his heart sink a little. It was strange, being able to feel his emotions without looking into his mirror-like eyes.  
  
"Because I was kinda like you once. It ain't easy living on the streets without anyone else around, yo. No one ta care about you, or ta even give a damn that your starving and lonely."  
  
Wanda directed her gaze back over to him. His head was hung, and he was looking at the door, away from her. There was a shame, a longing for her to understand in his voice.   
  
~So what if I lost everything? Would you want me if I was a failure? So what if I lost everything? Would you be there even when I am gone? Maybe you couldn't see all this pain inside of me. And now I feel like this was all for nothing. Cuz I'm left with nothing, I'm left with nothing again.~  
  
There was an eerie silence that filled the darkened room, yet even in what might seem void, it was filled with compassion. Wanda moved from her position leaning on the wall to right in front of him. She had honestly never known...she had been lead to believe that he had been in an orphanage...not left to his own on the streets...  
  
"Yeah, I know..."  
  
He began, holding up his left hand in front of his forehead and extending his thumb and index finger from the otherwise balled fist.  
  
"...I'm a loser. "  
  
"No your not."  
  
~So what if I lost everything? Would you want me if I was a failure?~  
  
Wanda replied almost fiercly, grabbing his hand and pulling it away from his face. He restrained a yelp, her grip a little tighter than it should have been, and finally looked at her.  
  
"You want to help me? Fine, I'll let you help me find the Wanda I lost. But only if you'll let me help you get over your past too."  
  
  
  
~So what if I lost everything? Would you want me if I was a failure? So what if I lost everything? Would you be there even when I am gone?~  
  
Wanda replied, her eyes stern and demanding. She wasn't going to give up on him if he wasn't going to give up on her. Todd looked at her, a dumb expression on his face as he soaked in all that she had just told him.   
  
"So...does that mean we're goin' out now or somethin'?"  
  
"One step at a time, frog-boy...one step at a time..."  
  
Wanda replied, giving him a small smile. Todd returned the smile a little as well. At least they were making progress...  
  
~So what if I lost everything? Would you want me if I was a failure?~  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: ok, a few crutial plot questions.  
  
1- When they finally emerge from Wanda's room to face the Brotherhood, which of the guys should start the attack of questions? Should I play off the one-sided Lance/Wanda? Or should I try and make Pietro into a believable 'conserned brother?'  
  
2- Should Pietro make up some huge story and tell his father, thus meaning I bring Magneto and his little gang into play on a death plot against Todd?  
  
Those are just a few, I might give away the ending if I ask any more questions O.o So, good? Bad? What? That little lilac button is down there screaming "CLICK ME!" Please don't make the poor thing loose it's voice, click! Heehee, R&R, give me some plot ideas please. I know the ending, but if you guys want a longer sequel, you have to help give me some body filler ideas since I've got the beginning and ending figured out. Anywho, I shall update A.S.A.P. School is the devil, so updates may be kinda far between...I hope not though. 


	2. Conflict

Disclaimer: *yawns* X-Men belongs to Marvel. And last time I checked, my name hadn't changed to Marvel....  
  
Summary: Wanda and Todd finally go back downstairs, only to meet a wall of questions...  
  
A/N: Yay, another chapter! *hugs all reviewers* Thank you so much! I was overwhelmed by review alerts when I checked my e-mail, and that makes me feel loved. *sniffle* Well, not too much else to say, so enjoy!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
They sat in silence, surrounded by darkness for a few minutes. Todd was staring off into space, obviously deep in thought. Wanda was staring off inot space too, but she was not in thought. Instead, she listened to the 80 mile per hour pacing of Pietro from downstairs. They were getting restless, and that would be a bad thing in three...two...one.   
  
Todd jumped as a heavy pounding came from the other side of the door. He shot a glance at Wanda, but she was still staring straight ahead. Slowly, she rose her hand in the air and hexed the entire doorframe and door, sealing the others out.  
  
"WANDA!"  
  
The familiar voice of the speedster rang through, though his sisters name was spoken at such a speed that it was almost unable to be deciphered. Wanda rolled her eyes lazily to the door, knowing that Pietro would kill himself if he continued to ram into the door like that. Despite the smirk that fell upon her face at the thought, she decided to humor her frantic brother and reply.  
  
"Go to hell Pietro."  
  
The pounding on the door slowed down, finally stopping. The familiar, angst ridden reply had seemingly confused him.  
  
"Where's the wart at?"  
  
He demanded, one quick pound on the door signified that he had slammed his fist into it. Wanda looked briefly at Todd, who she could tell was already becomeing a nervous wreck inside, despite his only slightly worried expression.  
  
"Why do you want to know, oh damned brother of mine."  
  
Todd cringed when he heard Pietro crash through the door to his room, then return seconds later. There was an unsure rage in his voice.  
  
"He's in there, isn't he?"  
  
Pietro snarled through the thick oak that made up the door. Wanda sighed, clearly annoyed already. She started to stand up, and Todd offered her his shoulder to help her. She gave a remote smile, then tilted her head to one side. Todd rose a 'brow to this, and Wanda swore that she could hear gear turning in his head. When he finally got it, he hopped over to the other side of her room, opened a window, and leapt up to the roof.  
  
Once he was gone, Wanda un-hexed the door at the exact same time Pietro had chosen to resume his charging. This resulted in Pietro nearly giving Wanda's room a new window before he skidded to a hault, still smacking into the wall but without as much force. He staggered backwards, looking around the room and finally whirling around to face a very unhappy looking Wanda.  
  
"What-the-hell-was-that-for!?"  
  
Pietro shreiked at her. Wanda cringed at the high pitched notes his voice carried.  
  
"For the knowledge that sooner or later you were going to screech like a banshee. Besides that, I could ask you the same question."  
  
Pietro's face had darkened towards her a little, unamused and seemingly concerned. Lance and Freddy ambled up the stairs, looking into Wanda's room and the conflict within, though neither joined in. They weren't geniuses, but they weren't stupid enough to get in a fight between the twins.  
  
"Come on sis, I know something happened to you...tell me what."  
  
"Fuck off Pietro, I'll tell you when I want too. And last time I checked, there hasn't been a single, solitary thing that I have wanted to tell you."  
  
Pietro let out a frustrated sigh, he had hoped it wouldn't come to this...but...  
  
"We can kick him out."  
  
Wanda fell silent, staring into Pietro's cold azure eyes with utmost seriousness.  
  
"Come again."  
  
She threatened, making what should have sounded like a question a statement. Pietro took a step back into the doorway where Fred and Lance now stood. Wanda glared at him heartlessly. Her bastard brother using the other residents as body guards...how familiarly like their father...hiding from her.  
  
"We can kick him out, back onto the streets where that scum came from. He's fair game out there you know sis, mutant haters surround us. They all know our faces now. Someone will kill him...and it can all start with us, because we all already know that no one is insane enough to want to take him in if we make him leave..."  
  
Pietro smirked when he saw his sisters face fall a little towards the emotion of despair. He had her going now, they would get an answer from her. Wanda looked at the three of them, each in turn, keeping her face as still and stonelike as possible. But she was disappointed to find that even Fred, Todd's big brother figure, was agreeing with Pietro without a threat directed at him.   
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Todd clung to the siding of the boarding house via the slime he had spit onto his hands, his tongue stuck to the gutter on the roof to secure him. He was just above Wanda's window, listening to everything. He closed his eyes for a moment, hearing the deadly silence after the threat to cast him back into the hellish streets. They were right, someone would come along and shoot him or beat him to a bloody pulp if he was recognized. He wouldn't survive out there, not now. He heard Wanda speak, and opened his eyes, listening as she uttered the words.  
  
"I'd like to see you try Pietro, because if he goes, I'm leaving."  
  
There was another few moments of dead silence, and Todd realized that a small smile had creapt onto his face. She really did care. He heard footsteps begin to advance towards where Wanda was standing, and began wiping the slime off on the siding, relying completely on his tongue to hold him up. He heard Lance's growling voice come through the window, moving with the footsteps.  
  
"What'd that prick pound into your head? You don't owe him anything!"  
  
Todd let himself lower down to beside Wanda's window, and peeking inside. Wanda was a little shorter than Lance, but she stood unintimidated by him.  
  
"I owe him my life. And the only prick in this house is standing right in front of me...and I think he should back off..."  
  
Without any other warning than that, Wanda hexed Lance out the door, and down the winding stairs with sickening 'thumps'. Wanda glared at Pietro and Fred. Fred shifted nervously.  
  
"I...think I'll go check on Lance..."  
  
And made his hasty exit. Pietro looked around, seeming small and insignificant without his 'posse' behind him.  
  
"I'm not going to let this drop so easily sis...and Todd is as good as X-ed from the brotherhood."  
  
Wanda watched him go, hexing the door to slam behind him. She looked towards the window as Todd pulled himself over to the sill and finally retracted his tongue and leapt inside her room. Wanda looked away from him, seeming very troubled.   
  
"I should have just told them."  
  
She growled at herself, turning and punching the wall. Todd made his way over to her, gently pulling her bleeding fist away from the wall.   
  
"Hey, dun worry 'bout it, yo. I...I'll be ok."  
  
Wanda closed her eyes angrily, but she didn't tug her fist out of his hands.   
  
"I am still going with you if your leaving."  
  
Todd gave a small smile.  
  
"Thanks, babycakes. That means a lot ta me, ya know?"  
  
Wanda opened her eyes and looked at him. The trusting, sincere look on his face made her smile just a little too.  
  
"Yeah...it means a lot to me too."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N: There you go! Chapter 2. Still not much to say. Chapter 3 might take a little longer getting uploaded, because I have this freakin huge novel to read for Honors English... O.o 


End file.
